1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a text string extraction system for extracting a pointed text displaying on screen.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Windows 3.1.TM. and Windows 95.TM. are widely-used operating systems, which can perform a multitask operation or a simulated multitask operation. The application software for Windows.TM. utilize functions of Windows.TM. system by means of an application program interface (API). Such a multitask operation will be effectively utilized by an application program, e.g., On-line Dictionary Application Program (ODAP), which is able to show "meaning of a word", "a synonym", "antonym", "wording for Japanese", and "spelling of English" etc. When an ODAP is applied in a multitask environment, an executing application program may be in reference to the results from the ODAP.
For example, if a Japanese word-processing program is opened and the ODAP is activated, the ODAP may offer the meanings of a word and a synonym of the word etc., to the word-processing program. Further, if a user applies the Japanese word-processing program for English translation, an English-Japanese ODAP may be effectively used.
Furthermore, if an English word-processing program is opened and an English-Japanese ODAP and a Japanese-English ODAP are also activated, the user may search for relevant words, confirm the meanings of the words, and check the spelling of the words during English translation when he is editing an English task. Additionally, when a world wide web (WWW) browser is executed, an English-Japanese ODAP may be applied to look up the meanings of the words shown on a home page on the Internet's WWW.
However, such a conventional ODAP only accepts the searched words to be transferred from the application program by means of a Clipboard and the searched words have to be delivered into a text-related Windows.TM. system so as to perform the function of searching.
Additionally, there is a word-processing program provided with an online dictionary function, however, such a program has to first define the scope of the words to be searched then activate the dictionary program or first activate the dictionary program then input the words to be searched.
Thus, the conventional online dictionary systems have to execute a process of pointing a sentence or a word to be searched, the procedure thereof is complicated. Accordingly, there is a need to develop a text string extraction system which can conveniently extract an arbitrary word.